**舞台** – _butai_. **stage play**. While this normally refers to the literal “stage” artists perform on, it also refers to stage plays and **musicals** (ミュジカル; _myujikaru_) as a whole. This is a field that has produced _seiyuu_ and has functioned as a secondary source of work for _seiyuu_, especially those who are struggling to find voice work or are less inclined to it. Some actually flourish in this space regardless of situation because much of their training also applies to theater, only with an added physical element to it, which is more conducive for some.
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**舞台** – *butai*. **stage play**. While this normally refers to the literal “stage” artists perform on, it also refers to stage plays and **musicals** (ミュジカル; *myujikaru*) as a whole. This is a field that has produced *seiyuu* and has functioned as a secondary source of work for *seiyuu*, especially those who are struggling to find voice work or are less inclined to it. Some actually flourish in this space regardless of situation because much of their training also applies to theater, only with an added physical element to it, which is more conducive for some.
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Because _seiyuu_ work revolves around anime, games, and manga, they are sometimes cast in **2.5D** (2.5次元; _2.5 jigen_) stage productions which are adaptations of those materials — Case in point, **Kenshō Ono** as Kuroko in _Kuroko no Basuke_ stage plays. He also provided the voice for the same character in the anime. **Ai Nonaka** does the same in the Premium 3D Musical _Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel_ reprising her role as Towa Herschel. Those shows tend to be extravagant by nature of the source material, so you will often find some sort of gimmick associated with it aside from the costumes and props, such as projection mapping, moving stage pieces and platforms, song and dance numbers, etc.
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Because *seiyuu* work revolves around anime, games, and manga, they are sometimes cast in **2.5D** (2.5次元; *2.5 jigen*) stage productions which are adaptations of those materials — Case in point, **Kenshō Ono** as Kuroko in *Kuroko no Basuke* stage plays. He also provided the voice for the same character in the anime. **Ai Nonaka** does the same in the Premium 3D Musical *Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel* reprising her role as Towa Herschel. Those shows tend to be extravagant by nature of the source material, so you will often find some sort of gimmick associated with it aside from the costumes and props, such as projection mapping, moving stage pieces and platforms, song and dance numbers, etc.
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One may classify theater by the size or capacity of the venue: **Small** (小劇場; _shōgekijō_), **medium** (中劇場; _chūgekijō_), **large** (大劇場; _daigekijō_).
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One may classify theater by the size or capacity of the venue: **Small** (小劇場; *shōgekijō*), **medium** (中劇場; *chūgekijō*), **large** (大劇場; *daigekijō*).
**Small venues** may accommodate about 100 people and are equally small productions with a limited budget. Shows that take place here rarely get a DVD/BD release, if it even gets recorded in the first place. They are, however, more intimate experiences because seats are closer to the stage (making it easier for actors to communicate and react with the audience and vice versa) and the actors don’t have to use mics as their raw voice can reach the back without difficulty (or there may be a floor mic at the front to amplify). The small scale also allows them to experiment with more subtle techniques, unorthodox concepts, and unusual seating and stage configurations.
